A Tall Gate on Komazawa-dori
Yutenji Temple Front Gate (祐天寺表門, Yūtenji Omotemon) is an early Meiji Kōraimon gate, dating from between 1868 and 1882, that opens onto Komazawa-dori on the north edge of Yutenji in Nakameguro, Meguro City, Tokyo, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 24 December 2013. It is built of timber with a tiled roof, 3.6 metres wide, with a Kugurido wicket door on each side.
It is the first gate visitors pass through, with the Nio Gate, designated by Meguro City, waiting beyond it. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Yutenji Temple Front Gate as standing in front of the Nio Gate.
In Edo-period temple records, the name omotemon, front gate, referred to what is now the Nio Gate. That gate, built in 1735 with money from Takehime, was the front gate of its day, and outside it stood another, the somon or outer gate. The present front gate occupies the position of that Edo-period outer gate.
Two Stories About Its Date
The Agency's database dates the Yutenji Temple Front Gate to the early Meiji period. Some guides, however, say it was built in 1817 for the hundredth memorial of Yuten Shonin. The temple chronology records something slightly different for 1817: the rebuilding of the outer gate ahead of that anniversary.
The chronology offers a further clue. On a plan of the grounds submitted to the magistrate of temples and shrines in 1843, the front gate was drawn as a kabukimon, a simple gate of two posts and a crossbeam. Today's gate is a koraimon, with a gabled roof over the crossbeam and small roofs behind, which is a different type. A rebuilding after 1843 is the natural reading, and it sits comfortably with the Agency's early Meiji date. This article follows the Agency, noting that the 1817 claim may confuse the gate with the recorded rebuilding of the outer gate.
Why It Was Registered
According to the Agency, the Yutenji Temple Front Gate is a koraimon with a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof in Sangawara-buki pan tiles. It stands unusually tall, with vertical lattice fitted between the crossbeam and the ridge beam, and wicket doors on both sides give it a broad, imposing front. It was judged to preserve a front gate of the dignity expected of a leading Tokyo temple, and was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape.
Facing straight onto a main road, the gate has long been how the temple announces itself to the street. In 1932, when Komazawa-dori was widened and the grounds were left exposed, the temple added a timber fence along the road. That same year a monument was set up in front of the gate after Yutenji came sixth in a newspaper poll to choose eight scenic spots of the enlarged city of Tokyo.
The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 brought down its roof tiles. Before the 233rd memorial of Yuten Shonin in 1949, the timber fences on either side were repaired and granite horse barriers were placed in front.
What to Look For
Start on the pavement of Komazawa-dori and take in the whole gate. The band of vertical lattice between the crossbeam and the ridge is what lifts the Yutenji Temple Front Gate so high above the street.
Once through, turn round and look at the back. A koraimon has rear posts behind the main posts, each with its own small roof, and the depth of the gate is hard to guess from the front. The wicket doors on either side are still used when the main doors are shut.
Visiting the Front Gate
The front gate is the entrance to the grounds and you can walk through freely. The temple asks visitors to use the wicket doors when the gates are closed. The pavement outside is busy, so keep to its edge when taking photographs.
Directions and visiting hours for the temple are on the Yutenji Temple page.
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Q&A
- When was the Yutenji Temple Front Gate built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Meiji period, between 1868 and 1882. Some guides give 1817, but the temple chronology records that year as the rebuilding of the outer gate.
- What type of gate is the Yutenji Temple Front Gate?
- A koraimon. It has a gabled roof of pan tiles, vertical lattice between the crossbeam and ridge beam that makes it unusually tall, and wicket doors on both sides. It is 3.6 metres wide.
- When was the Yutenji Temple Front Gate registered as a cultural property?
- On 24 December 2013, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape. Its registration number is 13-0302.
- How does the Yutenji Temple Front Gate differ from the Nio Gate?
- The front gate is the koraimon entrance on Komazawa-dori and a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. The Nio Gate beyond it is an eight-legged gate of 1735 designated by Meguro City. In the Edo period the Nio Gate was the one called the front gate.
- Can I pass through the Yutenji Temple Front Gate at night?
- According to the temple the grounds are open 24 hours, and visitors are asked to use the wicket doors when the gates are closed.
Basic Information
| Name | Yutenji Temple Front Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 5-1067-1 Nakameguro, Meguro City, Tokyo (temple postal address: 5-24-53 Nakameguro) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2013/12/24 (Heisei 25) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof, 3.6 metres wide, wicket doors on both sides |
| Owner | Yutenji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Entrance to the grounds, free to pass through; use the wicket doors when the gates are closed |
References
- 祐天寺表門, Agency for Cultural Affairs Database of National Cultural Properties
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009717
- 祐天寺表門, Cultural Heritage Online
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/270776
- Yutenji Temple history chronology, 1817 (Yutenji Temple official site)
- https://www.yutenji.or.jp/history/nenpyo/page-33124/page-33569/
- Yutenji Temple history chronology, 1843 (Yutenji Temple official site)
- https://www.yutenji.or.jp/history/nenpyo/page-33128/page-33632/
- Yutenji Temple history chronology, 1923 (Yutenji Temple official site)
- https://www.yutenji.or.jp/history/nenpyo/page-33147/page-35929/
- Yutenji Temple history chronology, 1932 (Yutenji Temple official site)
- https://www.yutenji.or.jp/history/nenpyo/page-33150/page-36023/
- Yutenji Temple history chronology, 1949 (Yutenji Temple official site)
- https://www.yutenji.or.jp/history/nenpyo/page-33150/page-36175/
- Frequently asked questions (Yutenji Temple official site)
- https://www.yutenji.or.jp/info/faq/
- Yutenji Nio Gate, Meguro City Designated Tangible Cultural Property (Meguro City)
- https://www.city.meguro.tokyo.jp/shougaigakushuu/bunkasports/rekishibunkazai/yutenjiniomon.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
